research
Pacific Shellfish Institute works with Alaska shellfish growers to address emergency rainfall closures
Many Alaskan shellfish farms are located far from population centers in pristine coastal waters. In June of 2016, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) implemented a blanket emergency closure policy for remote shellfish growing areas any time two or more inches of rain falls within a 24-hour period. It rains quite often in Southeast Alaska,…
Read MoreKodiak local gets research experience through new internship
Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in coastal and marine science, education, policy and decision-making is an important priority for Alaska Sea Grant. One way we are advancing this priority is through the Community Engaged Internship program (CEI), a 10-week paid summer internship for undergraduate students from underrepresented and Indigenous communities. The program provides training and…
Read MoreAquatic farmers wanted for collaborative research
Alaska Sea Grant and the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation are seeking aquatic farmers to join a 10-year, $25 million mariculture research proposal to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Trustee Council. Aquatic farmers from Prince William Sound, Kachemak Bay, and the Kodiak area are invited to submit an application. The proposed project is expected to…
Read MoreRockfish study adds local ecological knowledge to inform fisheries management
Over 35 species of rockfish live in the waters off the coast of Alaska. Rockfish have been harvested for subsistence for thousands of years, and commercially and recreationally fished since the early 1800s. Because rockfish are slow to reproduce, they are vulnerable to overfishing and require sound management to keep populations healthy. Some rockfish populations…
Read MoreImproving sea ice forecasts for safer subsistence harvests
Alaska Native people have lived along the coasts of the Chukchi and Bering seas in northwest Alaska for thousands of years. The rich bounty of the ocean, including marine mammals, fish and birds, has sustained these communities, not only feeding them, but also shaping their traditions, culture, identity and health. The Pacific walrus is an…
Read MoreNew tools track freshwater fish in changing climate
A salmon life cycle model developed by Alaska Sea Grant-supported researchers will predict how salmon populations in Alaska may fare as freshwater ecosystems change. The model will be online, allowing anyone to run it with various climate scenarios.
Read MoreRecord low level of Bering Sea ice causes profound, widespread impacts
“This is an extreme event with immediate and long-lasting repercussions. It’s indicative of very rapid change in the entire northern Bering Sea ecosystem. It has ramifications for everyone in the region,” said lead author Rick Thoman, a climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
Read MoreReport suggests how to prepare for Arctic oil spills
A new report is out on how communities can anticipate, plan for and build resiliency around oil spills. The report is the product of regional workshops in Anchorage, Alaska; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Santa Barbara, California; and Mobile and Bayou La Batre, Alabama. The Sea Grant Oil Spill Science Center and the Gulf Research Program of…
Read MoreVigilance advised after saxitoxin found in clams
Scientists have detected toxic algae in clams from the Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea regions of northern and western Alaska, according to a new bulletin. It’s an indication that ocean warming is moving northward, allowing the growth of Alexandrium catenella, a type of algae that can produce saxitoxin. If ingested, saxitoxin targets the nervous system…
Read MoreCordova Times: Federal grant will aid Sitka Tribe toxin research
A collaborative project with the University of Washington Tacoma, NCCOS, the University of Alaska and Alaska Sea Grant aims to develop two lab-based quantitative molecular methods for detection and counting of Alexandrium catenella resting cysts in sediment from the Gulf of Maine, Washington (Puget Sound), and Alaska (Kodiak and Kachemak Bay). The project will develop a target-specific DNA probe for a fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) assay.
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